Bulgaria's new caretaker cabinet can be appointed at the earliest on March 13, stated President Rosen Plevneliev Tuesday after the third and last attempt at regular cabinet formation fell through.

Tuesday Lyutvi Mestan, the leader of Bulgaria's third-largest parliamentary party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, officially returned the presidential mandate for cabinet formation.

The same has been done by currently ruling GERB party, and opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, following the February 20 resignation of GERB chair Boyko Borisov from the position of Bulgarian PM following massive protests against poverty and stagnation in Bulgaria.

"As I have already stated, early elections will be held on May 12. That means that a caretaker government can be appointed at earliest on March 13 to fulfill the constitutional requirement that its term in office last no more than two months," said Bulgarian President Plevneliev, after meeting Mestan.

He added that he does not exclude the option to name some of the proposed ministers ahead of March 13.

According to Plevneliev, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy rather than the Minister of Finance must be a Deputy-PM in the next cabinet.

"The caretaker government will set the agenda, while the next regular cabinet will implement anti-crisis policies," stated the Bulgarian President.

Appointing a caretaker cabinet means that Plevneliev will have to dissolve Parliament.

The appointment of a caretaker cabinet when no parliamentarily-elected government is possible is among the key constitutional powers of the Bulgarian President, a position that is otherwise largely symbolic and divested of direct executive force.

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